United Workers Union flyer falsely claims LNP would sell Logan Hospital

The union boss who helped orchestrate Steven Miles’ rise to premier has been caught out spreading fake news about the LNP’s plans for a major SEQ hospital, accusations that David Crisafulli has rejected.

The union powerbroker behind Premier Steven Miles’ ascent to the state’s top job has been caught out falsely claiming the LNP plans to “sell off” a major hospital.

United Workers Union boss Gary Bullock authorised a pamphlet dropped in letterboxes across the Labor-held seat of Macalister this week claiming the LNP planned to sell the Logan Hospital.

“Don’t let the LNP sell off our hospital,” the leaflet reads.

“Last time the LNP were in power they sacked 926 frontline health workers, including 299 nurses in Brisbane’s south.

“It took years for our community to recover from these LNP cuts.’’

On Wednesday, Opposition Leader David Crisafulli vehemently rejected the accusations that the LNP would sell off hospitals in Logan and Bundaberg if elected.

Confirming no hospital or satellite hospital would be sold under an LNP government, Mr Crisafulli said Labor’s claims had reached a “bizarre” level.

“The more these claims go on, the more Queenslanders are looking and realising they need a fresh start,” he said.

“They are bizarre.”

The flyer, purporting to be authorised by UWU heavyweight Gary Bullock, which turned up in a Logan letterbox. Picture: Supplied

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The flyer states Labor MP Melissa McMahon is “working hard to rebuild our community health services, and has delivered major expansions to Logan Hospital”.

It is the second scare campaign revealed in as many days after the state’s largest union, the Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union, was caught claiming the LNP wanted to privatise health services.

The UWU did not provide any evidence suggesting the LNP planned to sell Logan Hospital or privatise any health services.

Instead, a spokesman said in a statement that “the Queensland public should be under no illusion that privatisation of key public health services is in the DNA of the Liberal National Party’’.

United Workers Union State Secretary Gary Bullock. Picture: Supplied

“The track record of the previous Liberal National Party government was cuts of 4400 health workers and $1.6bn slashed from the health budget,’’ he said.

“These LNP cuts included privatisation by stealth through outsourcing key public health services to large private health providers, and the proposed outsourcing of much of the operations of the Sunshine Coast University Hospital.

“A $900 million extension of Logan Hospital is seen by the LNP as a prime opportunity for privatisation, or the weasel words for privatisation the LNP has previously embraced — public-private partnerships, commercialisation and outsourcing.’’

Bundaberg MP Tom Smith insisted he’d never seen the flyer being dropped by the union across the marginal electorate but backed its contents and declared “only I can be trusted” by Bundaberg locals.

“Apart from a screenshot provided to me by The Courier-Mail, I’m not aware of the reported third party flyer,” he said.

“However, there is no doubt to anyone in Bundaberg that the LNP will cut the new Bundaberg Hospital.

“If the LNP HQ don’t want their secret plans made public, they should have a stern word with their local member and candidates who have repeatedly called publicly to cut the new hospital.”

Deputy Opposition Leader Jarrod Bleijie, when asked on Tuesday if he would rule out privatisation of any health services under an LNP government, replied: “Absolutely.’’

“We’ve ruled it out before, we’ll rule it out today and we’ll rule it out again,’’ he said.

He described the scare campaign as “rubbish gutter politics run by unions doing their desperate bidding to dupe Queenslanders’’.

“These lies are from the very same faceless union boss who installed Steven Miles as Premier and is desperate to save face this election,’’ he said.

The flyer said: ‘Don’t let the LNP sell off Logan Hospital. Picture: John Gass

“Labor’s Steven Miles and the Unions know they can’t stand on their health record which has delivered record long waitlists and the worst ambulance ramping in the nation.’’

When asked about the scare campaign on Tuesday, Premier Steven Miles said “you’ll have to talk to the QNMU about their campaign’’.

“But I don’t blame them for wanting to alert the public to the LNP’s record when it comes to healthcare,’’ he said.

“They lost thousands of nurses and midwives the last time the LNP was in government and so it’s entirely appropriate for that union to be campaigning and advocating for the concerns of their members.”

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